In the January edition of the Asdem newsletter I wrote an article about the importance of keeping up-to-date with court cases and developments in the business. See the January newsletter here Asdem News January 2012
There is no substitute for attending a training course and hearing about the latest cases from someone who has had the chance to study them and discuss it with others in the business. However, a lot of information can keep you ticking along in between courses and some of it is free. Here are some of the free resources I use from time to time:
1. The Asdem newsletter – what I like is that it is free and focused on demurrage and closely related subjects. The archive of newsletters can also be found at www.asdem.co.uk and to subscribe contact sarah@asdem.co.uk
2. Solicitors, Barristers – many solicitors produce their own newsletters or bulletins and these are free. You need to check the individual websites to find out how to subscribe but the following firms cover marine matters: Clyde & Co, Eversheds LLP, 20 Essex St
3. P and I clubs are also a great source of information and this is also open to non-members. I have just subscribed to the Skuld newsletter but other clubs such as the Gard have other good articles
4. Intertanko and Bimco also have a lot of open information on their website. If your company is a member of these organisations you should be able to access even more.
5. Twitter is also useful and I follow a number of solicitors and organisation who tweet. Although each tweet is limited to 140 characters there is often a link to see the story in much more detail. These are a few of the tweeters I follow: @holmanfenwick, @clydeconews and @incelaw, @bimco, @gcaptain, @worldmaritimenews, @oil_trader, @ukpandi, @marinecafeblog, @iticLondon, and @intertanko. I follow @lloydslist for the headlines only – to read the articles you have to be a paying subscriber. I tweet occasionally and you can follow me @philstalley.
6. Tanker Operator Newsletter is a free newspaper available by email/download – see www.tankeroperator.com for details
7. Platts provide a daily digest by email of news in different segments of the market, they also tweet similar stuff and you don’t need to be a subscriber – www.platts.com. Platts also provide a free training afternoon where you can hear how the Market on Close procedure works and see it in action.
8. LinkedIn – joining some of the groups gives access to a variety of news articles which may be of interest, and you can join in the debate if you want to.
Why is all this information free? I guess they are all hoping that you will join their organisation or buy one of their products. A bit like this blog, I hope you enjoy the information and debate and if you see a demurrage system you would like to buy on your way here then that would be good too!
What other sources do you use? Do you provide free information useful to this community and I’ve missed you out? My apologies but put it right here. Do you tweet? Who do you follow? Let us know. Please share your ideas by clicking the comments button.